Box blank conveying mechanism



March 3, 1953 w. P. F'ERGNANI 2,630,206

-- BOX BLANK CONYE-iflG MEiCl-[AIIISM- Original Filed June 26, 1948INVENTOR. WALTER P FERGNANI m ATTORNEYS March 3, 1953 w. 'P. FERGNANIBOX BLANK- conysymc MECHANISM Original Filed June 26. 194s 2SHEETS-Sl-EET 2 INVEN TOR WALTER P. FERGNANI A TORNEYS Patented Mar. 3,1953 BOX BLANK CONVEYING MECHANISM Walter P. Fergnani, Beverly, Mass.,assignor to Post Machinery Company, Beverly, Mass,v a corporation ofMassachusetts Original application June 26, 1948, Serial No.

35,385, now Patent No. 2,584,855, dated February 5, 1952. Divided andthis application May 21, 1951, Serial No. 227,473

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine for feeding flat box blankssuccessively from a stack to and along a predetermined path and foldingthe blanks into overlapped and sealed relation during their passagethrough the machine, as disclosed in my copending application serial No.35,385, filed June 26, 1948 and now Patent No. 2,584,855, and of whichthis application is a division.

The invention disclosed in this application comprises blank feedingcarrier belts arranged to engage opposite faces of the blanks and to anovel arrangement of rolls and plates for supporting these belts andholding them in proper alignment. This arrangement includes alternatelydisposed belt supporting rolls and supporting brackets carried by anddisposed between the plates for carrying the rolls and providing uniformand substantial supports for the belts. The belts serve the purpose offirmly holding the traveling blanks while the end flaps thereof arebeing folded by adjacent mechanism.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood andappreciated from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the blank carrying and holding belts,

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the bracket supported rolls,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figs. 1 and 4,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of the carrier belt supportingrolls,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of the lower bracket supporting means.

In Fig. 1 is illustrated a pair of endless carrier belts l5 havingopposed cooperating reaches disposed to engage and feed blanks i2therealong. Mechanism disclosed in my said Patent 2,584,855 m adaptedsuccessively to feed the blanks from a stack to the receiving end Id ofthe belts. The belts are narrow and the blanks extend outwardly fromboth sides thereof. The upper belt 15 is shorter than the lower belt andmechanism is disclosed in said application for folding the end flaps ofthe blanks while firmly held by and traveling with the belts l5 throughthe field A indicated in Fig. 1.

It is essential that the blanks shall be firmly supported during thefolding operation (at A, Fig. 1) if the final product is to be squareand of true uniform shape. The following described novel mechanism isprovided for so supporting the cooperating inner reaches of the carrierbelts 15 that they will thus firmly engage and support the blankstherebetween during travel through the folding field A. Disposed aboveand below these reaches are a series of supporting rolls l0 and 12respectively supporting the two belts at the outer faces of their innerreaches. The upper rolls 10 are carried by and between a pair of sheetmetal plates 13 attached to and depending from a supporting plate 14.The rolls are supported in pairs on brackets 16. Each bracket 16 is ofthe shape illustrated in Fig. 2 and supports a roll at each of its twoopposite sides. The rolls are in staggered relation, slightly overlap attheir inner margins and are of a combined width substantially equal tothat of the belt.

The rolls 12 are supported in like manner in pairs on brackets 11 eachpivotally carried on the top end of a rod 18 mounted for verticallongitudinal movement in a supporting plate 80. A compression spring 8|normally lifts the bracket upwardly to a position limited by check nuts82. The rolls are of ball bearing construction and each is supported onthe larger end of a stud 84 having its other end threaded into thebracket. A pair of sheet metal plates 85 is carried by each bracket 11and secured by screws 86 threaded into the ends of the studs. Pins 8'!prevent rotation of the studs. The plates 85 and 13 are so relativelypositioned that they overlap the edges of the belts l5 when the rollsare in contact with the belts.

The adjusted and spring pressed bottom rolls 12 in cooperation with thetop rolls 10 are adapted to give firm and continuous support to theblank carrying reaches of the belts l5 throughout the blank foldingfield A. It will be furthermore apparent that the overlapping rols givesupport to the belt across its entire width and that the novelsupporting of the rolls on the studs 84, in turn supported in thebrackets between the side plates, provides very compact and substantialbelt supporting units. The nuts 82 can be adjusted to a degree givingthe desired support to the bottom belt and the required gripping effecton the blanks.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is-- 1. In a machine of the class described, apair of carrier belts having superposed reaches for engaging andconveying a blank along a predetermined path therebe-tween, two seriesof rolls in opposed relation respectively engaging the outer faces ofthe two belts along said reaches, roll supporting plates at the ends ofthe rolls, studs disposed between and supported at their ends on theplates, and a bracket anchored to one end of each stud and to theopposite end of an adjacent stud, one of said rolls being rotatablymounted on each stud between the bracket and the more remote plate.

2. The machine defined in claim 1 in which each roll is narrower thanits engaged belt and alternate rolls are of a combined and overlappedwidth substantially equal to the width of the belt.

3. The machine defined in claim 1 in which the roll supporting platesare spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the width of thebelts and each two cooperating plates overlap the edges of the adjacentbelt.

4. The machine defined in claim 1 in which the cooperating plates of oneseries are fixed, and means supporting the plates of the other seriesfor adjustment in the direction of the fixed plates.

5. The machine defined in claim 4 in which the fixed plates carry aplurality of said brackets and the plates of the other series comprise aplurality of pairs of plates each pair of which carries a single brackettherebetween.

6. The machine defined in claim 5 in which 4 said means includes asupport rearwardly of and parallel with the belt engaged by theadjustable rolls and the two plates of each pair of plates overlap andare in guiding engagement with opposite sides of said support.

7. The machine defined in claim 6 in which said means includes aplurality of rods mounted for longitudinal movement in said support,each rod being pivotally connected at one end to the adjacent rollsupporting bracket between the two rolls carried thereby, a compressionspring for moving each rod in the direction of the belts, and screwthreaded means for adjusting and holding each rod in the oppositedirection.

WALTER P. FERGNANI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Fiorc July 25, 1944

